Two New Faces On Chattooga Board Of Assessors
The Chattooga County Board of Assessors has two new members after the resignations of former members Jack Brewer and Andrew Johnson. Chattooga County Commissioner Blake Elsberry has appointed Matthew Kinnamont to fill the unexpired term of Johnson and has appointed Kevin Peyton to fill the unexpired term of Jack Brewer. The two will be joining Doug Wilson, Betty Brady and John Bailey on the five-person board that oversees property assessments in the county.
ARC Awards Grant To Fund Connector Trail At Chickamauga Battlefield
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded a $434,131 grant to Walker County to help fund a direct connection for pedestrians and cyclists between the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and downtown Chickamauga, known as the Chickamauga Battlefield Connector Trail.
“Walker County is committed to enhancing access to outdoor recreational opportunities for residents and visitors,” said Shannon Whitfield, Chair, Walker County Board of Commissioners. “In addition to being a huge quality of life component for our residents, outdoor recreation is the lifeblood of our tourism industry. This project will significantly impact our community by linking a population center with a popular natural and cultural asset.”
The ARC grant will be paired with a local match to construct a nearly one-mile multi-use pathway that will connect two existing surfaced trails to complete a 2.2 mile trail from the Chickamauga Battlefield at Wilder Road to downtown Chickamauga.
Walker County partnered with the city of Chickamauga, Trust for Public Land (TPL), Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, Lyndhurst Foundation, Riverview Foundation, Jewell Memorial Foundation and others to make this strategic investment to capitalize on one of the region’s most significant assets.
“The Battlefield Connector Trail is a great first opportunity for Trust for Public Land to partner with Walker County, Chickamauga, and the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission to achieve a long held and shared vision to connect more people from more communities to the remarkable natural assets throughout north Georgia and the Tennessee Valley,” said Noel Durant, TPL Tennessee State Director. “We know that quality of life matters to this community and that thoughtfully linking tourist destinations to business districts can grow local economies. We are grateful to the ARC for their generous investment in this project, to our philanthropic partners, and to the people of Walker County for inviting TPL to help them with this wonderful project.”
Letters of support for the project came from U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia State Representative Mike Cameron, and the acting superintendent of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, among others.
Construction on the trail could start as early as late summer with the project potentially wrapping up by the end of the year.
DNR Board Presents Former Congressman With Conservation Award
The Georgia Board of Natural Resources on April 24 named a former congressman as the recipient of the 2023 Rock Howard Conservation Achievement Award during its meeting on Jekyll Island.
U.S. Rep. Lindsay Thomas, who served Georgia’s First Congressional District from 1983 to 1993, was recognized as an environmental and natural resource leader who embodies the passion and success of Rock Howard, the state’s first director of the Environmental Protection Division.
Recipients of the Rock Howard Award have made significant contributions to Georgia by supporting the Department of Natural Resources’ mission “to sustain, enhance, protect and conserve Georgia’s natural, historic and cultural resources for present and future generations, while recognizing the importance of promoting the development of commerce and industry that utilize sound environmental practices.”
“This award is well-deserved by Lindsay,” said Board Chairman Joe Hatfield of Clarkesville. “We are grateful for his work on agriculture, natural resources, and energy issues while serving in Congress. His leadership during his time in Washington, D.C., and his continued work on behalf of conservation throughout the state are a source of pride for Georgia conservationists.”
Thomas’ lifelong dedication to environmental protection stems from his upbringing in rural southeast Georgia. He spent his youth hunting and fishing, appreciating the beauty of the Altamaha and Satilla rivers, and exploring the nearby coastal marshes.
“There is no one more deserving of this esteemed conservation award than Lindsay,” said Board Member Nancy Addison of coastal Georgia, who nominated Thomas. “As a farmer and forester, he has been a vocal and respected advocate for protecting and conserving our resources for future generations.”
Thomas channeled his passion for the outdoors and conservation during his 10 years in Congress. He co-founded the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus in 1989 to bring together members of the House and Senate in a bipartisan effort to support America’s hunting and fishing communities in federal policy decisions. The Caucus has grown into the largest bipartisan caucus in Congress, with more than 200 members. It is credited with influencing policies that benefit hunters and anglers and has inspired the creation of parallel caucuses in 50 states and 36 governors’ offices. The Caucus honored Thomas in 2023 for his lifetime achievements and continued service on the Board of the Caucus Foundation.
Currently, Thomas volunteers with a Wayne County authority tasked with upgrading and expanding the JC Landing on the Altamaha River near Jesup. Upon completion, the enhanced landing will include an interpretive and educational center, attracting ecotourists, birdwatchers, boaters, and promoting environmental education.
Georgia Man Sentenced For January 6th Attack On Capital
A Georgia man was sentenced to prison on Thursday of last week for assaulting law enforcement officers with a weapon during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
From the U.S. Department of Justice:
Jack Wade Whitton, 33, of Locust Grove, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras to 57 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution. Whitton pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon on Sept. 13, 2022.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, many of the most violent confrontations that day occurred near an entrance to the Capitol building in the area known as the Lower West Terrace. The entrance usually consists of a flight of stairs leading to a doorway; however, on January 6th, the construction of the Inaugural Stage converted the stairway into a 10-foot-wide, slightly sloped, short Tunnel approximately 15 feet long. Here, law enforcement officers struggled for hours with a mob of violent rioters to prevent the mod from advancing further into the Capitol building.
At approximately 4:27 p.m., police officers had been defending the Tunnel for nearly two hours, advancing and retreating as they struggled against a crowd of rioters. As some rioters exited the Tunnel and made their way down a set of steps, Whitton worked his way through (and against) the crowd to get closer to the police line.
As Whitton approached the police line, he pulled a metal crutch from the crowd, raised it overhead, and thrust it repeatedly at police, striking law enforcement officers. While Whiton was attacking the line of officers with the crutch, another rioter – co-defendant Justin Jersey – knocked an officer to the ground. Still wielding the crutch, Whitton climbed over a fence at the top of the stairs. As Whitton approached the police line, an officer was able to gain control of the crutch; however, Whitton was undeterred. He continued to fight the officers, grabbing at them with his hands and kicking at an officer lying on the ground.
Whitton then grabbed an officer’s baton and, in his own words, “fed him to the people” by dragging the officer head-first and face-down into the violent, angry mob of rioters, where the officer was beaten. The mob then proceeded to attack the downed officer with objects, including a police baton and flagpole.
Approximately 20 minutes later, at 4:48 p.m., Whitton returned to the Archway. Police officers continued to maintain a line across the Tunnel entrance; many held riot shields. Whitton approached the line of officers, gave them the finger, and kicked at them. Another rioter, who was standing between Whitton and the police line, yelled at him and others to stop. Instead, Whitton ran back to the line of officers, kicked at them, struck a riot shield held by an officer, and shouted, “You’re gonna die tonight!”
During another instance that day, Whitton scaled the wall between the Lower West Terrace and the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol building, where bleachers had been set up for the Inauguration and where police officers were attempting to clear rioters. Here, Whitton threw an object at the line of officers, then reached over the balustrade to throw a punch at them.
In the days that followed the events of January 6, Whitton texted and posted on social media about his conduct at the Capitol that day, expressing pride in his participation in assaults and unconcern for his victims. In one text exchange sent on the evening of January 6th, Whitton informed an associate that he “didn’t actually get in the building but everything else I was in the middle of.” He then sent images of his bloodied hands, stating, “This is from a bad cop. . . I fed him to the people. Idk his status. And I don’t care tbh.”
The FBI arrested Whitton on April 1, 2021, in Locust Grove, Georgia.
This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Atlanta and Washington Field Offices, which identified Whitton as #130 in its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.
In the 39 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,385 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 500 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Georgia Jails Must Now Check Immigration Status
Jailers in Georgia must now check the immigration status of inmates and apply to help enforce federal immigration law.
Governor Brian Kemp signed the bill into law this past week at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. Most provisions take effect immediately.
The Republican governor signed a separate law that requires cash bail for 30 additional crimes and restricts people and charitable bail funds from posting cash bonds for more than three people a year unless they meet the requirements to become a bail bond company. That law takes effect July 1.
Kemp said Wednesday that the immigration bill, House Bill 1105, “became one of our top priorities following the senseless death of Laken Riley at the hands of someone in this country illegally who had already been arrested even after crossing the border.”
GNN / Compiled Sources
New York Man Charged In Connection With Fatal NW Georgia Accident
An intoxicated truck driver from New York was charged in connection with an accident that took the life of a Northwest Georgia woman on Thursday night.
According to reports, the accident on Highway 53 near Calhoun Road in Floyd County on Thursday evening was caused when a commercial vehicle, driven by 47-year-old Pavinder Singh of Floral Park, New York, was traveling on the wrong side of the road without its headlights on and struck another vehicle head-on.
Deputy Floyd County Coroner Chris Giles said thirty-four-year-old Letha Lamb was pronounced dead at the scene.
A second person was injured and required medical attention and stitches.
During the investigation, Singh was found with an open container of alcohol.
He is additionally charged with serious injury by vehicle, DUI, open container, reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road, and no headlights.
Arrest Report - Saturday - May 4, 2024
Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Saturday, May 4, 2024:
Chieftains Museum Summer Speaker Series
Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home is proud to present the 2024 Summer Speaker Series. Lectures will focus on the Protestant missionary groups which featured prominently in the lives of the Ridge family.
The first of these lectures will be Thursday, May 9th at 7PM at Brookes Chapel on the Shorter University campus. This lecture, presented by Rev. Charles Jones of the Southern Baptist Convention, will tell the story of the Tinsawattee Baptist Mission to the Cherokee and the rediscovery of its location in the Dawson Forest WMA. Rev. Jones received a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. For over forty years, he has been a minister with the Southern Baptist Convention and served pastorates in Ohio, Virginia, and Georgia. Charles has also been a historical researcher and writer with the Georgia Baptist State Mission Board. He has been a regular contributor and columnist for newspapers and magazines such as Georgia Backroads, The Christian Index, and the Athens Banner Herald. Additionally, Charles has been a researcher for major public television productions such as Finding Your Roots and the Georgia Public Broadcasting and Historic Rural Churches of Georgia co-produced series Saving Grace. His current research focuses on further uncovering the story of the Tinsawattee Baptist Mission as well as elucidating the history of Baptist stewardship, Baptist women and African-American Baptists.
To view the full schedule of lectures, visit the Chieftains Museum website at www.chieftainsmuseum.org/events. Each lecture is free and open to the public.
For more information about the Summer Speaker Series, visit www.chieftainsmuseum.org or call (762) 327-6124.
Road Work To Impact Visitors to Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center
Road work that will disrupt traffic on Turner McCall Boulevard for about a week will change how some drivers access Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center’s emergency room and Family Birth Center.
Because of utility relocation as part of the North Second Avenue widening project, Turner McCall Boulevard will be closed or limited to traffic from Martha Berry Boulevard to North Fifth Avenue, beginning Monday night, May 6, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. North Second Avenue runs beside the hospital along the Coosa River levee.
The nightly closures on Turner McCall Boulevard are expected to last about a week.
Ambulatory patients needing care at the Emergency Care Center and laboring mothers seeking to enter the Family Birth Center are encouraged to access those areas from North Second Avenue.
They can also access those areas from Keelway Drive, which runs by the hospital’s parking deck on the north side of Turner McCall Boulevard.
Department of Transportation officials will be working with utilities experts to move water lines that will be impacted by the widening project
Advent Health Hosting AngioScreen Bus
AdventHealth Redmond is hosting the AngioScreen bus on Monday, May 6 from 8 am to 3 pm. The AngioScreen bus will be parked in front of the main entrance of AdventHealth Redmond. An AngioScreen is a noninvasive, 10-minute vascular screening designed to assess your risk of heart disease and stroke.
This painless 10-minute assessment delivers immediate results at the time of screening. An AngioScreen includes carotid artery screening ultrasound looking for plaque (the leading cause of stroke), 5 lead EKG of the heart rhythm, ankle brachial indices and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening. If you have any of the following risk factors, you should consider scheduling an appointment today:
· Age 55 or above
· High blood pressure
· High cholesterol
· History of smoking
· Family history of stroke
· Diabetes
· Obesity
· Family history of heart attack
· A personal medical history of other cardiovascular issues
The screening is $85 per person and is HSA eligible. To register for this screening, visit https://bit.ly/3vTFXsB.
Georgia Surpasses 100,000 In Early Voting By Thursday Of This Week
On Thursday, Georgia voters broke the 100k mark in Early Voting and Absentee totals thanks to upgraded security procedures and voter experience improvements implemented since 2018. Georgia continues to seek the appropriate balance between election security and voter access, leading the way in several first-of-its-kind pilot projects and upgrades that serve to boost voter confidence and reduce the likelihood of errors while casting a ballot.
“Since 2018, I’ve made election security and user experience priority number one,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. “From upgrading poll pads to implementing a new voter registration system, we’ve worked tirelessly to enhance voting up and down the line. Georgia voters can trust that their elected representatives are chosen only by American citizens, casting their votes on secure paper ballots.”
Under Secretary Raffensperger’s leadership, Georgia has implemented a series of transformative measures aimed at strengthening the integrity of our elections and boosting voter confidence. Cutting-edge upgrades to poll pads have streamlined the check-in process, cutting wait times and improving overall accuracy. The adoption of a new voter registration system, GARViS, has modernized voter registration procedures, enhancing security, accuracy, and reliability. To increase transparency, My Voter Page has undergone significant upgrades, allowing for voters to check the status of their vote the same day, in most cases. These upgrades, in support of Georgia’s requirement of short wait times on election day, serve to accomplish the goal of a positive experience for all Georgia voters. Additionally, Secretary Raffensperger’s launch of Election Data Hub marks a milestone in transparency, providing hourly turnout updates and invaluable insights to the public. And for voters who cast a ballot by mail, Georgians can now monitor their ballots throughout the entire process, significantly enhancing the likelihood of a successfully cast vote thanks to our partnership with BallotTrax.
“Voters will have a wonderful experience at the polls in 2024,” said Secretary Raffensperger. “In most cases they will be out in under two minutes, and have confidence in the process thanks to the hard work of election officials across Georgia.”
Alabama Fugitive From Justice Arrested In Chattooga County
Chattooga County Sheriffs deputies arrested a man after a traffic stop who had an outstanding warrant in Alabama. According to a report this week from the sheriff’s office, two deputies were on patrol on Highway 27 in the Trion area near Scenic Hill Road when they clocked a vehicle doing 71 in a 55 mile per hour speed zone. After performing a traffic stop, the deputies discovered that the driver’s license was suspended in January of this year for failure to appear in court. Deputies arrested James Scott Edwards and while transporting him to the Chattooga County Jail, dispatch told the deputies that Alabama authorities wanted to place a hold on Edwards due to the fact that there was a warrant for his arrest to face charges of violation of a domestic violence protection order. Edwards was charged with speeding, driving with suspended or revoked license and being a fugitive from justice and was booked into the Chattooga County Jail on April 23rd.
Taste Of The South Festival Coming To Summerville In June
Summerville Main Street is hosting a Taste of the South Festival on June 22nd that will feature a special edition of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum Steam Passenger Train. The train will be rolling in from Chattanooga to the Summerville Depot that afternoon. The public is welcome to come out and enjoy the arrival of the steam passenger train to the Historic Summerville Depot and enjoy live music while they sample Southern food dishes. The event will also feature local honey and flowers. The Taste of the South event will take place from 10 AM until 3 PM. More details about the event will be released in the upcoming days.
UGA Looks For Cicada Samples
Chattooga Schools Seek Maintenance Employee
The Chattooga Board of Education is seeking a maintenance worker to work full time Tuesday- Friday. The position works 200 days of the year and has 8 paid holidays. High school diploma or GED is required. For more information about the position, contact Dawn Campbell at the Chattooga Board of Education at 706-859-3043. You can read more about the job and requirements below:
Arrest Report - Friday - May 3, 2024
Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriffs Office for Friday, May 3, 2024:
Gov. Kemp Signs Legislation Boosting Georgia's Top-Tier Workforce Talent
Yesterday, Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp, accompanied by First Lady Marty Kemp, members of the General Assembly, and state and local leaders, signed multiple pieces of legislation, including HB 982, that will provide a boost to Georgia’s diverse and top-tier workforce talent pool.
HB 982, sponsored by Representative Matthew Gambill, signed by Representatives Matt Dubnik, Chris Erwin, Chuck Martin, Soo Hong, and Farooq Mughal, and carried in the Senate by Senator Bo Hatchett, came as a result of work done by the Joint Study Committee on Dual Enrollment for Highly Skilled Talent at Younger Ages which was chaired by Sen. Matt Brass and Rep. Matt Dubnik, and directs the State Workforce Development Board to create the state’s high demand career list. With several existing lists across state government, this designated list will eliminate confusion among stakeholders, educators, and agencies.
“Every job creator who calls Georgia home and every prospective company looking to expand tells me that, along with our business-friendly environment and reliable infrastructure, it is our people that make Georgia special,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “I could not be prouder of the growth we are witnessing across the state and the amount of opportunity that is being created with it. But every new job created requires a hardworking Georgian to fill it, and thanks to our partners in the General Assembly, we are once again able to take forward-thinking action that keeps our state positioned as a model for the nation in developing our workforce for the jobs of today and the economy of tomorrow.”
Along with HB 982, Governor Kemp signed seven pieces of legislation included below:
HB 970, sponsored by Representative Robert Dickey, signed by Representatives David Knight, Chris Erwin, Katie Dempsey, Danny Mathis, and Bethany Ballard, and carried in the Senate by Senator Billy Hickman, changes the funding structure for the REACH scholarship so that now for each $10,000 scholarship, $9,000 will come from the state and $1,000 will come from the participating school system. The bill also adds victims of human trafficking as a qualified group for the scholarship.
SB 440, sponsored by Senator Matt Brass, signed by Senators Elena Parent, Clint Dixon, Gloria Butler, Rick Williams, and Freddie Powell Sims, carried in the House by Representative Matt Dubnik, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, simplifies the accelerated career pathway and allows students engaged in that pathway to receive dual enrollment funding for more than 30 credit hours.
SB 497, sponsored by Senator Billy Hickman, signed by Senators John Albers, Jason Esteves, and Sonya Halpern, carried in the House by Representative Soo Hong, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, increases the number of allowed apprenticeships under the High Demand Apprenticeship Program and directs TCSG to create a pilot Public Service Apprenticeship Program.
SB 384, sponsored by Senator Billy Hickman, signed by Senators John Albers, Sonya Halpern and Jason Esteves, carried in the House by Representative Lehman Franklin, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, creates the State of Georgia as a Model Employer (GAME) Program. This program is intended to assist state agencies with the recruitment, hiring, and retention of qualified individuals with disabilities. Elements of the GAME program shall include, but not be limited to, the following: provision of training and technical assistance for state agency human resources personnel and hiring managers for the recruitment, hiring, advancement, and retention of qualified individuals with disabilities; assistance with the implementation plans of reasonable accommodations by state agencies under the ADA; and the development of evaluation forms and reports for the purpose of data collection and analysis relating to individuals with disabilities employed by state agencies.
SB 354, sponsored by Senator Larry Walker, signed by Senators Brian Strickland, Jason Anavitarte, Kay Kirkpatrick, Kim Jackson, and Steve Gooch, carried in the House by Representative Ginny Ehrhart, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, removes the licensure requirement to provide the services of ‘blow-dry styling’, washing hair, or applying makeup. This will not apply to any services that change the color or structure of the hair, including cutting hair, applying dyes, bleaching, or use of chemicals.
SB 373, sponsored by Senator Larry Walker, signed by Senators Jason Anavitarte, Kay Kirkpatrick, Brian Strickland, Sonya Halpern, and Elena Parent, carried in the House by Representative Alan Powell, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, requires the Board of Marriage and Family Therapists to issue an expedited license by endorsement to any individual moving from another state that has a current valid license to practice in that state and is in good standing with that state.
SB 195, sponsored by Senator Larry Walker, signed by Senators Kay Kirkpatrick, Frank Ginn, Ed Harbison, and Tony Anderson, carried in the House by Representative Bethany Ballard, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, among other things, makes Georgia the 3rd state in the country to join the Social Work Licensing Compact. Once seven states have joined, the compact becomes functional and will facilitate interstate practice of social work services.
Governor Kemp extends his appreciation to all of those whose diligent work and efforts led to him being able to sign these bills today.
Mother's Day Scavenger Hunt At Paradise Garden
Mothers Day is right around the corner and Paradise Garden has a special event planned for Mothers Day weekend, Friday, May 10th – Sunday May 12th. Paradise Garden is filled with imagery reminiscent of motherhood – from images of Rev. Howard Finster’s wife, Pauline, and his family; to religious images of motherhood; and motherhood as seen in nature. This Mother’s Day weekend, the Paradise Garden Foundation invites you to bring your mothers and mother figures to Paradise Garden for a new Mother’s Day-themed scavenger hunt designed by Mary Shewan, Curatorial & Archival Fellow. Scavenger hunt is included in admission. Chattooga County residents admission is FREE.
Mental Health Awareness Month Chattooga Chamber Luncheon
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the Chattooga County Chamber of Commerce will be featuring Heather Roesner, a mental health clinician, as the featured speaker for their May luncheon that will be held on May 28th at Noon at the Chattooga County Civic Center on Highway 48 in Summerville. Roesner has been with Lookout Mountain Community Services, now Bridge Health, since 2006. She graduated from Lee University in Cleveland, TN with a masters in counseling psychology. The chamber says that the meeting will be a great opportunity to have a meal and network with others and learn how we can all work together to have the biggest impact on Chattooga County. Reservations are appreciated. You can reserve your seat HERE
Chattooga County Rabies Clinic May 18
The Chattooga County Health Department, Chattooga County Extension Office and Summerville Veterinary Clinic will sponsor a low-cost rabies clinic on May 18th. The event will be held at Chattooga High School from 9 AM until 5 PM . The cost for dogs and cats to be vaccinated will be $10. Those attending should use the entrance off Highway 100 to access the rabies clinic at Chattooga High School.